BMW Debuts ReachNow Ride-Sharing Service, Now Available in Seattle

BMW announced the launch of ReachNow, a new car-sharing service. ReachNow’s first location is in Seattle, Washington, which will also serve as the company’s headquarters. The company also said that it plans to launch the service in three additional U.S. cities this year and eventually serve a total of ten North American cities.

ReachNow is starting off with an initial fleet of 370 vehicles, including the BMW i3, the BMW 3 Series, and the Mini Cooper. The service is similar to the one offered by BMW in partnership with Sixt, DriveNow. DriveNow, which started operations in Munich in 2011 and is now available in eight European cities, was available in San Francisco for several years until BMW shut it down in October 2015 due to conflicts with local parking and car-sharing regulations in the city.

With ReachNow, which users manage via an app, BMW plans to “provide drivers with an experience that is as convenient as owning a car,” it said in a statement.

The ReachNow app allows users to locate and book the closest available car in the app or find a ReachNow car on the street, which they can then return to any legal parking space on the street. Additionally, ReachNow is set to expand to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by the end of the second quarter of this year.

Users can also request a specific vehicle to be delivered to their location immediately or at a future time.

BMW charges a rate of 49 cents for each minute the vehicle is used, and 30 cents per minute while parked. Pricing is capped at three different tiers, namely $50 for up to three hours, $80 for up to 12 hours, and $110 for up to 24 hours.

Users can download the ReachNow app in the App Store and on Google Play. Using the service requires the payment of a one-time registration fee of $39.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)